Alexey Kaplan wrote on 7/9/07 3:08 PM:
> Dear Scott, Steve, and Gil,
>
> As a new member for the CLIVAR's "Processes, Observations, Synthesis"
> (POS) panel, I was asked by our chairman (who is Mike Alexander) to
> cover at the panel meeting (which is in 2 weeks) the issues of
> obtaining/digitizing historical climate data. I wonder if you could
> point me towards any recent report/documents/website which I could use
> as an authoritative source on the current state of these activities.
> And/or please let me know if you want any particular issues relevant
> to this topic brought to the attention of the POS panel or CLIVAR
> summit. Mike also hinted that, if needed, CLIVAR panels can draft
> letters to the government or international agencies with
> requests/recommendations. Let me know.
>
> Another question is, with the retirement of Joe Elms, who would be a
> right contact on the terrestrial climate data side? I've been in touch
> with Karen Andsager recently: is she a right contact to get the entire
> picture from?
>
> With subsurface ocean the issue seems easy: I'll ask to Levitus what
> he thinks.
>
> Any input from you guys will be attended to most dutifully.
>
> Hope all is well with each of you,
> Alexey
>
Dear Alexey,

2-Get your new group to please support the GCOS AOPC/OOPC Surface
Pressure Working Group request to the DWD (Reinhard Zoellner
<Reinhard.Zoellner@dwd.de>) to exchange their historical marine data
with ICOADS as soon as possible. Whatever subset they are will to
exchange will be a useful addition, particularly anything prior to 1948.

3. Exchanging South American data pre-1948 has been very difficult
outside of Chile (thanks to CDMP). We need some good link with someone
who is interested in seeing the subdaily data for this region recovered.

4. Scientific expedition data needs a home. It is neither all land data
or all marine data (take the Byrd Antarctica expedition data as an
example: many ships from New Zealand, data from the ice shelf, data from
the continent). I think that a push to get all polar scientific
expedition data digitized would be very useful as someone was going to
one or the fairly often throughout the 20th century at least. David
Bromwich had suggested this to me for Antarctica in particular, and I
think it is a good idea.

Let me know if I can be of any more help,

best wishes,

gil

--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gil Compo, Research Scientist, CIRES
University of Colorado